Thoughts? I was just checking out Hulu and of all the devices they use to streamline, ATV was not on there. I kicked them an email. Anyone have a preference one over the other here?

The series I really wanted to watch and Netflix doesn't have it nor does hulu, is True Blood. Darn it. But the prices are the same. We were a little disappointed with Netflix and their selection. They use to offer lots more.

Seeing the demand for distribution hubs like Netflix I wonder how soon content providers figure out they're nuts to lease what they own. They can design their own app and rent their contact directly to viewers for a nominal fee, pay per view or, a season pass like on Zune.

Canada doesn't have access to Hulu so I can't comment on the comparison.

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I don't have Netflix, but my general impression is that if newer movies are you thing, then Netflix is the best choice. If TV series, then Hulu. There is a lot of overlap though.

Since I don't have friends and family who are into the latest series, I don't rarely miss what's not there, nor mind waiting a week or two for the the newest episodes of what few I do care about.

More and more carriers are delaying or removing their content from both Hulu and Netflix; pretty much for the reasons the Admiral describes. They figure they can get squeeze more money out of them before going to the lower backshelf/rerun income streams. And, some are not doubt considering their own internet content distribution.

In the not to far future it may be necessary to create several folders to contain all you TV channel apps on the iPad. Or they could get even smarter and wrap up the entire mobile market with a well thought out web app.

Though, if they would create an iOS app that would download/buffer episodes so I could view them when I want, I might be wiling to pay for that. It wouldn't have to store/keep them. Just let me watch without worrying about whether my internet connection was going to die mid scene. I hate that.

Thanks, boys! Appreciate your input ~ We finally have ATV hooked up. The first movie we tried, the picture was horrible! But I guess some are not going to be in HD. We have a free trial for a month at Netfilx ~ we will see!

In Canada, CTV, City Tv and Global, the 3 major private TV networks, already have their own distribution model including IOS compatible apps, to deliver first run content FREE, 24 - 36 hours after a show airs. The stream contains mini commercials, 2 15x spots, inserted during 5 breaks. Soon they'll begin charging for this. BBC already does through it's IOS app. I think $8.99 per mos.

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Netflix is $7.99 a month. Something like that. A lot of the TV series we get for free through Comcast On Demand.

Rogers On Demand in Canada just launched on Xbox but their model is goofy.
Our household has an Xbox Live account, $59 per year I think. Figured Rogers would allow us to access content on a pay per view basis right ????
Turns out you have to be a Rogers Cable Subscriber. If you've got the cable why would you want to access it across Xbox?
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Well ~ we have cable and I was getting tired of getting movies and paying $5.99 for them! Lots are free but still. So for 8 bucks a month, we get a lot more choices.

We're cable free too. Basic cable rates in Canada are scandalous. If you start adding premium packages you can break the bank.
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You could watch Hulu on the ATV: How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2